Terrorism claimed over 12,000 lives in Iraq in 2016: UN

Iraqis inspect the aftermath of a car bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 4, 2016. (Photo by AP)

The United Nations says more than 12,000 people have lost their lives in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq so far this year as government forces and allied fighters battle to drive the Daesh Takfiri militants out of the country.

According to a survey conducted by Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency on the basis of monthly reports issued by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a total of 12,038 Iraqis have been killed and 14,411 others injured since the beginning of the current year.

The UN mission added that there were 6,492 civilians among those killed. The attacks claimed the lives of 5,546 members of Iraqi security forces as well.

The figures were collected from health and security officials in the capital Baghdad, the northern provinces of Salahuddin, Nineveh and Kirkuk in addition to the western and eastern provinces of Anbar and Diyala.

The fatalities came as a result of shootings, improvised explosive devices, car bombs, and bombers wearing explosive belts, as well as clashes with the Daesh Takfiri militants in different parts of the country.

The death toll shows a surge in violence in Iraq during the final months of the year, when 5,683 people were killed. The number accounts for about half the number of deaths recorded during the first eight months of 2016.

The number marks a nine-percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year, when at least 11,118 Iraqis, mostly civilians, were killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict. A total of 18,419 people sustained injuries during the period.

Habib al-Torfi, a member of the human rights committee in the Iraqi parliament, said the high figure of fatalities in 2016 stipulates the need for deeper commitment on the part of the United Nations and the international community regarding Iraq.

Iraqi troops, supported by fighters from Hashd al-Sha’abi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, are in a joint operation, which was launched on October 17, to retake the northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

The International Organization for Migration said on December 18 that 103,872 people had been displaced since the operations began.

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